Media Bias?

By: Jason Colthorp

Updated: Wed 12:33 PM, Jul 15, 2009

By: Jason Colthorp

The next time someone thinks I'm editorializing-- watch this.

For the record, I get sick and tired of people accusing the media of bias-- mostly because it's just not true the majority of the time. I'm sorry, but people hear what they want to. That said, I will admit there is an agenda with news organizations sometimes and it's hard to believe it's not the anchor's agenda when they portray it so vigorously.

One of the hallmarks of journalism is impartiality. You know, the lack of editorializing when presenting a story-- no matter what the format. Of course, that all goes out the window on shows like Nancy Grace and Hannity, but on the actual news portion of networks it should still be intact. Sadly, it isn't and sometimes it's embarrassing. I thought Megan Kelly on Fox News was the worst in her "Kelly's Court" segment, but Mike Galanos (who I always liked) of Headline News is really gunning for her.

This clip is about a woman, 28, arrested for having sex with a 14-year old boy she was babysitting. Sure, if it's true, it's pretty awful. If it's true. Often in our newsroom you'll hear a producer caution someone that "you've convicted him" with something they've written. It's a pretty big deal, because THEY HAVE NOT BEEN TRIED AND CONVICTED, WHICH MEANS THEY ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT. At least that's what it's supposed to be like in America. So the next time someone calls in and accuses me of loving Obama or hating Obama or editorializing-- watch this and know that we are 1000 times better than cable news shows that are obviously out for the ratings and not the journalism.

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